As the rest of his teammates walked around in short sleeves,
trying to stay cool as temperatures reached the 80s, Talib ran around the
fields behind Gillette Stadium in long sleeves with a pair of leggings covering
his calves.

By the end of the session he was so full of moisture that it
looked like he took a Gatorade bath.

"Double shirts, you know," Talib said following Tuesday's
organized activity at Gillette Stadium. "Out here trying to get hot as
possible, get in some good shape."

After being acquired from Tampa Bay in October, Talib
returned to the Patriots this offseason on a one-year deal that could pay him
to $5 million. So this is the first time that the Patriots have been able to
witness his approach to the offseason.

And from the double shirts to way he talks about the
process, everything about his approach is unique. While other players go
through the motions and describe the offseason program as a long, monotonous
grind, Talib views it as "the best part of the year."

"This is what you work for," Talib explained. "You put in
all the work, see what you get out of it during the season."

While the move flew under the radar after the Patriots
replaced wide receiver Wes Welker with Danny Amendola, retaining Talib was one
of the more important move New England made this offseason.

His acquisition last season allowed the Patriots to move
Devin McCourty to safety and push Kyle Arrington inside to the slot. Both
players flourished in their new roles, which allowed the much-maligned
secondary to creep toward respectability down the stretch.

If he had gotten away, the Patriots would have been forced
to obtain another player and start from scratch or mix and match parts. But
even with the progress that was made last season, Talib said the secondary is
taking nothing for granted moving forward.

"We don't let ourselves feel like
that," he said. "We start it all over, we start it from scratch. Got
to pick it up from square one and get it started right now."

Still, having half a season in the system has allowed Talib
to become more comfortable in the system and he's looking forward to see where
he's at after having a full offseason to get better acclimated with the system.

During Tuesday's practice, he lined up opposite Arrington
with the first-team defense and was able to break up a few passes. Second-year
cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who started opposite Talib last season, played
opposite the injury-prone Ras-I Dowling.

"It's always good to have the whole offseason,
the whole training camp and everything with the same group," Talib said. "Build
that camaraderie. You know how each other speak on the field, learn the
terminology."

Though it took a few days for a deal to get done when free
agency opened in April, Talib said that his preference was always to return to
New England.

When it was suggested that he was on a make-good
deal and asked if he felt the need to prove himself all over again, Talib shot
down the notion and said he wasn't thinking about his contract situation.

"It's time to get in shape, that's all I'm worried about
right now, getting in good shape man, best shape I can be in," he
said.

That
may be the best way to make good. And if anyone doubts his approach, he has the
sweat to back up his words.